Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Saffron Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Another cake I made for my dear K's mother's birthday party last weekend* was this saffron carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. A recipe is from the Swedish Arla site (Saffran- och morotskaka) and although I was a bit heavy-handed with saffron (we've got loads at home, and it's not easy to measure out half a gram when our scales only recognise 2 g increments!), the cake was a success. Moist and bright-coloured, with a wee bit tangy frosting.

* We only attended the Saturday party and were surprised to find out that the most famous Estonian composer - probably the only Estonian composer most of you have ever heard of (who also happens to be a classmate of K's mum) - made a surprise appearance at the party on Sunday. If we had only known that before, I would have turned up on Sunday as well :) Anybody wants to guess who was eating my cakes? The hint I'm giving you is that K's mum turned 72.

Make the cake batter. Mix butter, sugar and saffron threads (powder them between your fingertips) in a bowl and cream until pale and light. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add grated carrots and orange zest. Mix flour with baking powder and fold into the batter. Pour the batter in a 24 cm cake tin (butter the tin first and sprinkle with fine breadcrumbs or line with a parchment paper). Bake in the middle of a 175 C oven for about 40 minutes, until the cake is cooked (test for doneness with a toothpick). Cool in a tin.

To make the cream cheese frosting, mix the cheese with vanilla and a bit of sugar, spread on the cake.Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Ah, Pille, you missed the expression of beatitude on Arvo Pärt's face when eating your cake :-)...as you miss it on the face of your readers, when they follow (at home, in different countries) your culinary suggestions and adventure in the fantastic world of tastes... But, believe me, this happens every time we try from your recipes!!!

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And I've never used saffron in a dessert before. Maybe your recipe will be the first I try! =)

Peabody – I’m still learning to like saffron, but since I’ve got loads at home, I can afford to experiment :)

Pene – that’s a bit unfair – you’re local :) But yes, she and Arvo Pärt were classmates.

Lobstersquad – I’ve passed your greetings on to her, thank you!

Patricia – the colour was pretty eye-catching indeed!

Marika – oli, oli :)

Alanna – did you know that Arvo Pärt was Estonian? I’m ashamed, actually, as I’ve only got one of his CDs. I did attend several of his concerts in Edinburgh, however, he was well known there. (A typical dialogue: me: ‘I’m Pille from Estonia’. He/She: ‘Oh, isn’t that where Arvo Paaart is from?’)

Suzana – thank you!

Elizabeth – you’re too kind. Seems that Arvo Pärt actually ate my chocolate cake and not my carrot cake on that day. I must blog about that chocolate cake now, I guess :)

Lydia – well, you’re absolutely right :)

Tanna – just remember not to overdo with saffron!

Shannon – yeasted saffron bread is quite common here (probably a Swedish influence), but I hadn’t used it in other desserts until now either..

Aforkfulofspaghetti – well, saffron makes the colour much nicer, so do try it!

Spinning Girl – Sulle ka!

DaviMack – yes, you can. A bit too much, actually, as I wasn’t sure how much is half a gram. I’ll go easier on saffron next time…

I suppose it also depends upon what kind of saffron used - whether you used Spanish or Egyptian, for example, might make a big difference. I've never chosen to afford the really expensive Spanish stuff, but the Egyptian stuff is fairly mild ... so maybe you used the "real" saffron?